An explosion near a church outside of the Nigerian capital yesterday killed at least two people, police said, the latest of a spate of deadly blasts to hit Africa’s most populous nation.

The military meanwhile said it had killed 11 alleged members of an Islamist sect blamed for a series of attacks in a shootout in the northeastern city of Maiduguri on Saturday night, but residents alleged soldiers shot civilians.

Yesterday’s explosion outside the All Christian Fellowship Mission was in the town of Suleija, which was also the target of a deadly bomb attack at an electoral office on the eve of April’s parliamentary elections.

“There was an explosion close to a church in Suleija,” police spokesman Yemi Ajayi told AFP of the town on the outskirts of Abuja. “Two women, seriously injured, were later confirmed dead.”

Church pastor Joseph Olowosagba said services had ended, but some members were still inside when the explosion went off outside of a window.

Windows on one side of the church were blown out, while a neighbouring house was also damaged.

“The explosion smashed my windows and scattered my room,” said Sani Joseph, who lives next to the church. “I saw two bodies – both of them women. The other man was seriously injured.”

The bomb attack at the electoral office in April killed at least 13 people and wounded dozens of others.

Victims in the April attack included members of the Nigerian youth corps, a mandatory service for young people, who were recruited to work as polling officials.

A series of bomb blasts and other attacks occurred in the run-up to and after Nigeria’s parliamentary, presidential and state elections in April.

Much of the violence has been claimed by an Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which has mainly operated in the northeastern region of the country and has previously targeted churches in a nation roughly divided in half between Christians and Muslims.